hmmm.  what an interesting week it has been.  well this time last week i posted a point about people forgetting about the ride etiquette guide.  well it seems that people still didn’t take the opportunity to have a look before last saturday’s ride so it is listed again below.  the first three points in the guide are also shown below.  so besides being a danger to other riders in the group, the etiquette guide is also there to make sure that we don’t become a hazard for other road users.  generally because the worst case is we have to scrape what is left of a rider off the road.  regardless of which group you are riding in, there are certain rules that you need to adhere to.  these are called the road rules of wa.  going through red lights, not giving way at roundabouts and crossing onto the wrong side of the road are all things that i am guessing that you wouldn’t do when you are driving your car.  we have to adhere to the same set of rules, or we have no leg to stand on when a driver is in the wrong.  it is bad enough when you see some random cyclist doing these things, but it is even worse when they can be identified because you are wearing our kit.  it not only reflects badly on all of us, it could get you killed.

ride etiquette – it looks like some of you have forgotten about our ride etiquette guide.  i am here to remind you of it.  whether you are new to the group or have been with us before spr started, there are guidelines that everyone needs to follow to ensure that the rides are safe.  i am not going to mention every part of the guide, but here are the first three points –

• SAFETY is always the number one priority of any SPR group ride
• SPR rides are recreational. They are not races!
• Choosing to participate in an SPR group ride means you have chosen to be part of a team

spr t-shirt – the t-shirt sales are open and there is a post up which has the link to the online shop.  the price is $35 and orders will be open for another week.  it is a bit far away to say that they will make a good christmas present, but if you bought one, it would make a good christmas present.  be part of the club, buy one.

state team time trial champs – this race is on next weekend down in pinjarra.  there are already a number of names up on the previous post about who is interested.  i will put together some teams over the weekend as they need to be registered by tuesday evening.  if you need a licence, see the next point.

memberships – some people need a racing licence to be able to do the state team time trial.  the online system is currently down so i have put up a post to show how to do the paper system (it is actually paperless).  if you really need to, then do it this way, if not wait till the online is online as it is much easier for all of us.  getting a race licence now covers you till the end of next year.

golden spokes – this is our one and only road race that we put on for the year.  josh camp has done lots of work organising stuff for this event but it will rely heavily on volunteers from our club to make it work.  we will need people to help setup, pull down, take registrations, count laps, judge winners, sell drinks, run a bbq, drive lead cars, and probably a few more things.  as we are the biggest cycling wa road club in perth, we get a fair bit of pressure to put on events.  this is our chance to show the cycling community that we can put on a good event.  it will need your help, so keep an eye on the website.

spr club breakfast –  it has been a while since we had one of these.  i haven’t managed to win lotto and build a bigger house to support the bigger club so some of the guys have organised an outdoor affair.  this will be held at the park next to where we start after the ride on the 22nd oct.  there will be a bbq and muffins and drinks etc.  see the previous post and put your name down so we can get an idea of numbers.  there will be a sizing kit available for the new kit order and we will open orders after the breakfast.

ride routes – know your ride routes.  look after each other.  don’t be a dickhead.  simple.

saturday 8th oct

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.47km (south st)

sunday 9th oct

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 96.36km (patterson & canns & urch)